Walkers in the Park this last few months have seen the work being carried out to improve the main pathway up the middle of the Park.

It has meant some inconvenience for Park users having to follow detours etc but the weather has been fairly kind to the main contractor laying the base tarmac (Griffith Davies of Gwaleod Y Garth) and the specialist surfacing contractor (ThorTech Ltd, Rhymney, Cardiff) seen here applying the top coat in the upper section and both have progressed well.

With the detours, barrier tape and warning signs, general winter rain and mud, winter foliage, some tree felling, etc the Park has probably appeared in a poorer state of repair this winter than it ever has! However, the path work is now complete and many users of the Park have commented to the workmen themselves as well as the Friends Group how good a job has been done and how much of an improvement it is.

The new path together with the clearing of the undergrowth by Cardiff Parks Dept and the regular Friends Group Workdays has really opened the park up. The daffodils in the entrance were spectacular last month (end March and April) and with the spring shoots well on their up and the rhodendrons blooming it it a great time to visit if you haven’t for a while. You will be amazed at the difference.

Llanishen Golf Course, the Park’s main neighbour, are considering taking down a couple of unwanted evergreen trees that are on the course itself. Their removal will restore the magnificent view from the top field in the Park, over the city of Cardiff, the Bristol Channel and the Somerset Mendip hills beyond. The Park Rangers have offered to trim the overgrown hedge at the view-point, too!

Funding achieved via the Friends Group has allowed Cardiff Council to resurface the main spine path from near the entrance right up to the goldfish pond in the upper section of the Park. The work has meant a lot of mess and some machinery, so footpaths have been temporarily diverted.

On 6th February, 2011, about ten members of the Friends Group spent a cold, but sunny Workday afternoon planting over a thousand bulbs beside the main path as it enters the lower park. For details of Workdays, please see our Activities page.

In December 2010, Cardiff Council fitted a new septic tank underneath the car park, to ensure that the toilets keep working.

This photograph of a creepy tree seen on a walk in Parc Cefn Onn, by virtual_tony2000 has been posted on Flickr.

This is the name given to a disease caused by a group of fungi called Phytophthora. It was first noted in oak trees in California in the 1990s, but is now widespread across the globe, affecting a wide range of plants. First discovered in Parc Cefn Onn in 2004, it has now affected more than thirty plants across the park.

How is it carried?

One of the primary carriers of the disease in the UK is the wild Rhododendron, R. ponticum, and its variants.

Progress of the disease

The disease’s progress is being monitored by Plant Health Inspectors at FERA and diseased plants have been removed and safely disposed of to reduce further spread, as required by current disease control legislation. Strict control measures introduced in the winter of 2008/9 are intended to ensure that the disease is brought under control and does not spread into local gardens and other parks.

Clearance programme

A five year clearance programme is currently being undertaken to prevent the spread of infection to park trees and surrounding areas. The Plant Health Inspectors will advise when the disease is under control and replanting can take place. In the meantime, please read the signs you will see around the park, and do your best to do what they say.

This part of the web site is dedicated to keeping you up-to-date with all the news relevant to Parc Cefn Onn. Keep coming back here to learn about recent and future activities.